In Memory
by Gabs
Summary: set during Remnants, Sydney and Will talk about Francie.


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In Memory

Disclaimer: They're not mine, though I rather wish Will was. ;)

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A/N: set during Remnants, immediately leading into the scene in the safe house. this is for the SD-1 July challenge.

"Hey, Will… let's have a picnic," Sydney suggested.

"Um… a picnic?" he repeated dubiously.

"Yeah, you know… basket, food, relaxing…" she said teasingly.

"I know what a picnic is," he replied dryly. "I remember those ones we always used to go on with Francie. But Syd, we don't even have a picnic basket."

"We can improvise."

"Ok, sure. And where are we going on this picnic? Because in case you forgot, we're in a safe house, which means we don't really have the freedom to wander off to some local park and enjoy the evening."

"This is true… but it's ok, we have a front room and couches. That'll do."

"Couches? What kind of picnic is this?"

"Improvise, Will, improvise."

"Right… sorry, I forgot. Ok, so where's our picnic basket?" Looking thoughtful, Sydney wandered into the kitchen in search of something that would fit their needs.

"We have… paper plates, and some paper bags, and… a jemmy."

"What? In there? Why is there a crowbar in the kitchen, or should I even bother asking?"

"Well, it's obviously in case we… need to break into the refrigerator."

"I somehow doubt that," Will commented, moving into the kitchen for the first time. "That door is about ready to fall off anyway. If we even touched it with that bar, the whole thing would probably explode."

"Ok, so maybe the CIA is trying to encourage agents to take up burglary in our spare time, I don't know. It's the CIA Will, I've given up trying to make sense of them." Will rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll give you that one. So, did you find us a basket yet?" Sydney continued rummaging through the cupboards, and moments later, she stood up triumphantly.

"This!"

"Syd, that's a tin can." With a disappointed frown, she reached over and smacked his arm with it.

"Improvise!" she repeated.

"That hurt," Will mumbled.

"It's your own fault." She set about filling the makeshift basket with whatever she could find before grabbing Will's hand and leading him towards the front room. Once there, she sat down, using the couch behind her as a cushion, and set the food on the low table in front of her. Will disappeared momentarily, soon returning with a few bottles of what Sydney presumed to be alcohol. She raised an eyebrow as he set the bottles on the table.

"We never used to drink on our picnics," she recalled uncertainly.

"Improvise, Syd, improvise." This drew a laugh as he settled in next to her.

"Know what would be great right now?" Sydney asked wistfully.

"What?"

"Some of Francie's Key Lime pie." Will smiled, sadly but fondly.

"Yeah… you know, I never even liked lime, period, until she made me try that pie?"

"It was always one of my favorites. But no one could ever compare to Francie."

"I'll drink to that," Will said quietly, reaching for a bottle. He stopped as he saw the look on Sydney's face. "Syd? Are you ok?" She leaned back, resting her head on the couch cushion and looking up at the ceiling.

"There are times when I'll be at the mall, or a work, or just out for a walk, and I'll see someone and for a split second, think it's her. But then I remember, and I realize… no, it isn't her, and it never will be again." Will reached out and took her hand, silently urging her to continue.

"It still hurts. I try not to think about it, but it's still there regardless. I haven't really had time to think about it… I mean, I know I technically had two years, but I don't remember any of that, so I don't know if I've ever really dealt with the pain. I miss her Will, so much… but time heals everything, as they say. I guess I'm just waiting for that to kick in." Sydney finally glanced up to see Will shaking his head slightly. Giving him a curious look, she waited for him to explain.

"Syd, you and I both know that time doesn't _heal_. Time…" he paused, searching for the word. "Time _numbs_. Time makes it easier to push the pain aside, bury it under other things, and pretend it doesn't still hurt. But it does, and it always will. We just get better at pretending." She looked at him, somewhat astonished.

"That's a rather cynical view," she noted.

"Yeah, well, after all this time, it still hurts… it's made me accept the fact that it's never going to go away. Some days, she may not even cross my mind, but I can still feel it."

"So there are days you don't think about her?"

"Honestly… no. She's always there, in my mind, somewhere. It's just that, Jonah? He doesn't have time to think back on that. He's too busy working, piecing his life back together, and maintaining a safe distance from everyone he knows now. But Will? I have all the time in the world to think about what I used to have, and everything that was lost."

"I'm sorry," Sydney whispered.

"For what?"

"None of this would've happened if you and Francie weren't my friends."

"You know neither of us would've traded our friendship with you for anything."

"I think Francie would trade that for her life."

"It's not your fault, Syd." She didn't reply, merely reached for an apple before leaning back again. "Do you remember that report I wrote, about the use of Semtex in certain operations?" Sydney nodded, looking at him curiously. "Well, Francie actually found some of my notes on that one night."

"Oh, no…"

"Oh yeah… it took me over an hour to convince her I wasn't getting into anything bad, and it was just… what did I tell her it was?" He paused for a moment, thinking back. "Oh right, I said it was just old notes for a story I'd been starting when I was still with the newspaper. And then, so she'd really believe it wasn't important anymore, I scrunched the paper into a ball and tossed it in the trash."

"I remember that!" Sydney laughed. "At your presentation, there was one paper that was all wrinkled and ripped, but you dodged all the questions about how it had gotten that way." Will nodded, smiling at the memory.

"Yeah, I didn't think it'd be smart to mention the part where I accidentally allowed a civilian to get hold of info pertaining to that topic." Sydney smiled again.

"No… no, probably not." Will gently reached over and tilted her face up so their eyes met.

"Do you want to talk about it more?" she shook her head lightly.

"I'm ok. Thank you for being here for me, Will. It helps just knowing there's at least one person in the world I can talk to."

"I'm always there for you Syd. Which, I know, isn't really helpful considering where I live now… but hey, it's the thought that counts, right?"

"Right," she agreed with a laugh. Will stared at the table for a few moments before leaning over and grabbing two of the bottles. He opened both before handing one to Sydney, who looked at him expectantly, figuring he had some reason behind his actions. He held his bottle up slightly, thoughtfully gathering his words before he spoke.

"In memory of friendship, love, trust, and innocence," he said quietly. "To Francie." Sydney nodded tearfully, raising her bottle to meet his.

"To Francie."


End file.
